The great Mr Prospector
When 40-1 outsider Night Of Thunder won Saturday’s G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas, he became the second son of world leading sire Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) to win the 1600m classic, (Dubawi’s son Makfi having triumphed in 2010).
In winning the first British classic race of 2014, Night Of Thunder also became the fifth male line descendant of Mr Prospector to win the 2000 Guineas.
He was preceded by Zafonic (1993), King’s Best (2000), Henrythenavigator (2008) and Makfi (2010).
Furthermore three sons of Mr Prospector- Bellotto (1987), Machiavellian (1990) and Lycius (1991) ran second in their respective runnings of the 2000 Guineas.
Mr Prospector’s son Gulch is the sire of beaten 2000 Guineas favourite Nayef (2001) and the broodmare sire of 2003 2000 Guineas winner, Refuse to Bend.
Miswaki, whose daughter Urban Sea is one of the greatest broodmares of the recent era, is the broodmare sire of the 2009 2000 Guineas victor Sea The Stars – while the latter’s half-brother, Galileo, is the sire of the greatest 2000 Guineas winner in living memory, Frankel.
Mr Prospector’s sire sons Carson City, Gulch, Gone West, Fappiano, Seeking The Gold and Kingmambo, to name a few, built up an astonishingly powerful legacy in North America.
Remarkably, Mr P’s male line descendants have won no fewer than 40 North American classic races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes) – including 11 Kentucky Derbies.
However, Mr Prospector has not achieved the same level of dominance in Europe. This is hardly surprising, as most of his top sire sons retired to stud in Kentucky, and Europe had far fewer representatives of that male line than did North America.
The Classics
Mr Prospector himself was represented by a number of European classic winners – Ta Rib (French 1000 Guineas), Ravinella (English and French 1000 Guineas), and most importantly, Kingmambo (French 2000 Guineas). The latter would go on to enjoy remarkable success in Europe – despite spending his entire stud career in North America.
In total, Mr P left behind no fewer than 13 European Group One winners, while another high-class runner to grace the Irish tracks was champion, and subsequently successful sire, Woodman.
The first major son of Mr Prospector to retire to stud in Europe was Group One William Hill Futurity winner Hello Gorgeous – who proved a stud failure. The smart racehorse Damister was another son of Mr Prospector to disappoint in Europe (although he did leave behind champion Celtic Swing), while Gone West’s full brother, Lion Cavern, was another to leave behind one major racehorse (champion Crimplene).
Machiavellian
In contrast, arguably Mr Prospector’s most successful European based sire was Champion 2YO Colt, Machiavellian. The latter, who spent his stud career in Newmarket, did extremely well at stud and established himself as one of Britain’s premier stallions.
Machiavellian, who died at the age of 17, sired 78 stakes winners from 736 foals (an excellent 11%). Machiavellian’s classic winners included Vettori, Tie Black and West Wind, and he was also an exceptionally versatile sire – his sons included Group One winners from 1000m (Patavellian) to 4000m (Invermark). Machiavellian is also the sire of exceptional sire Street Cry, and is the broodmare sire of dual French classic winner, and leading European sire, Shamardal.
A number of Mr Prospector’s Kentucky based sire sons left their mark on Europe. One of the most successful of those was Gone West, whose European runners included the classic winners Zafonic, Royal Abjar (German 2000 Guineas), and high-class 2yos Dazzle, Dance Parade and Saddad.
Zafonic and his full brother Zamindar both did well at stud. Zafonic’s runners included champion Xaar and the high-class Group One winners Count Dubois, Zafeen and Zee Zee Top, while Zamindar sired the unbeaten French champion Zarkava, as well as French 1000 Guineas winners Darjina and Zenda (dam of 2014 2000 Guineas runner up Kingman).
Gone West is also the broodmare sire of European classic winners Motivator (Epsom Derby) and Leading Light (St Leger), while his sons, Elusive Quality and Mr Greeley, both left behind a number of European Group One winners. Elusive Quality’s tally includes multiple Group One winner, Elusive Kate, as well as Raven’s Pass and Elusive City (the latter himself sired a French classic winner in Elusive Wave), while Mr Greeley left behind champion filly Finsceal Beo and G1 Sussex Stakes victor Reel Buddy.
Gulch
Another son to enjoy success in Europe was champion sprinter Gulch – sire of 1000 Guineas winner Harayir and multiple Group One winner Nayef. Gulch is also broodmare sire of the classic winning siblings, Latice and Lawman (the latter being one of Ireland’s most promising young sires).
Miswaki’s European stars included Arc de Triomphe victress Urban Sea, top sprinter Kistena and Queen Anne Stakes hero Allied Forces. Apart from Galileo and Sea The Stars, Miswaki is also broodmare sire of such Euro standouts as Hernando (French Derby), Dr Fong (St James Palace Stakes) and Landseer (French 2000 Guineas).
The hapless Woodman (whose stud career failed to please many critics) was not the most consistent of stallions, but sired the truly outstanding European performers Bosra Sham and Hawk Wing – two of the finest milers seen in Europe.
The King
However, of all Mr Pr’s US based sire sons, it was Kingmambo whose offspring fared best in Europe. Kingmambo was represented by no fewer than nine classic winners in Europe – and his offspring have won all of Britain’s classic races, with the exception of the Derby. He was represented by two winners of the 2000 Guineas (King’s Best, Henrythenavigator) and two of the 1000 Guineas (Russian Rhythm, Virginia Waters), as well as such high-class performers as Dubai Destination, Malhub and Okawango.
Kingmambo has also excelled as a broodmare sire – his daughters having produced the Investec Derby winners Camelot and Ruler of The World, as well as the latter’s champion half-brother Duke Of Marmalade.
Kingmambo’s 2000 Guineas son, King’s Best, also did well at stud. Champion sire in France, King’s Best has been represented by the likes of Derby/Arc hero Workforce, as well as the G1 winners Proclamation, Creachadoir and King’s Apostle, to date.
